Together we can make a difference in the life of a child.
When you register to shop on Amazon smile, every time you make…
When you register to shop on Amazon smile, every time you make…
When you register to shop on Amazon smile, every time you make…
With every passing month, Gaza becomes more “unlivable”. More than 1.6 Million of the Gaza Strip’s 2 million residents now rely on the delivery of humanitarian goods and services just to survive. According to the World Bank “Gaza’s economy is in a free fall” with an unemployment rate reaching more than 32 percent, “the highest…
An urgent appeal was made today by Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. Fuel supplies are dangerously low affecting every aspect of life in Gaza. “We have now run out of funds and are delivering the final supplies in the next few days. Without funds to enable ongoing deliveries, service…
Speaking after a recent visit to Palestine, UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynx declared that in Gaza, “Residents are deprived of their most basic rights, including the rights to health, to education, and most recently, in attempting to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, they were deprived of the right to life.”…
Over the past 16 years, KinderUSA has been blessed with a remarkable group of supporters who have never wavered from their commitment to safeguarding the lives of the children we serve. The gratitude expressed by the recipients of our Ramadan program – gratitude for the healthy food that sustains them during this blessed month –…
Musallam lives with his wife and six children, ranging in age from 9 months to 7 years old, in a structure that consists of 2 small rooms just outside of Rafah, near the Egyptian border. The home has a metallic roof, no windows, no electricity, no running water, and therefore poor sanitation. In short, uninhabitable…
In Gaza, Women, who account for 49% of the population, bear a heavy share of the burden of economic strangulation imposed by the 11 year blockade. During that time, the number of women seeking employment has increased 200%. Many of these women are highly educated and now find themselves as the breadwinners of their family…
Gaza: Our Duty, Our Children Join us for an event that is sure to both educate and engage guests, informing them of the people and communities we are serving during the month of Ramadan. In the exotic ambience of Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale California, keynote speaker, Dr. Saree Makdisi will discuss the plight of the…
When you register to shop on Amazon smile, every time you make…
When you register to shop on Amazon smile, every time you make…
When you register to shop on Amazon smile, every time you make…
With every passing month, Gaza becomes more “unlivable”. More than 1.6 Million of the Gaza Strip’s 2 million residents now rely on the delivery of humanitarian goods and services just to survive. According to the World Bank “Gaza’s economy is in a free fall” with an unemployment rate reaching more than 32 percent, “the highest rate in two decades”. While the 11 year blockade on Gaza is the primary factor, the recent funding cuts to the UNRWA by the current administration has only deepened the sense of despair among ordinary Palestinians.
After Ramadan, KinderUSA sat with beneficiaries to map out upcoming projects. All spoke clearly and resolutely about the greatest priority: they need food. “We must wait one year to feed our children full meals in Ramadan. To give them something beyond Ramadan is all we ask,” said Um Omar from Khan Younis.
Yes, you read that correctly. Many families in Gaza rely on the Ramadan project to provide their children healthy food. When the funds run dry…when the blessed month of Ramadan passes…these families must scramble to put food on the table.
Working with our partners on the ground, KinderUSA is in the distribution phase of a 4-month project that will provide fresh food to 725 families in Gaza, enlisting farmers and our women cooperatives. Live chickens and fresh eggs will be purchased from our successful, female-run chicken micro-enterprise project with each family receiving 2 distributions over this 4-month period.
Reports from the field are heartbreaking. Ibrahim, one of our beneficiaries, states that, “I am a sick person. I have not been able to work for a long time. I did not receive any help during the holy month of Ramadan except KINDER assistance (Food Distribution). As you see, my house is very bad, I do not have a kitchen, and there is no door to the bathroom. Also, we suffer from the rain water during winter, with the entry of insects and some reptiles into the rooms…my children cannot sleep all nights because of bugs…they often have skin diseases.”
For many Palestinian families, our modest food distributions provide a ray of hope amidst the bleak uncertainty of life in Gaza. “I was afraid of not being able to meet my children’s requirements because of the very difficult economic situation, and my inability to work,” said Ibrahim. “This project (funded by Kinder) helps me to provide the needs of the house as it contains chicken, eggs, vegetables, cheese and others. Thank you to all.”
Over the years, our efforts together have made a difference in the lives of thousands of Palestinian children and their loved ones. Please consider making an online donation today and put smiles on the faces of these wonderful, resilient children.
An urgent appeal was made today by Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. Fuel supplies are dangerously low affecting every aspect of life in Gaza.
“We have now run out of funds and are delivering the final supplies in the next few days. Without funds to enable ongoing deliveries, service providers will be forced to suspend, or heavily reduce, operations from early September, with potentially grave consequences”, said Mr. McGoldrick.
The occupying authority has prevented fuel from entering Gaza as part of their “restraint” policy, denying 2 million Palestinians medical services. Operating on 4 hours a day, public and NGO supported hospitals need fuel to run generators for newborn, trauma, and intensive care units.
Further, there is a risk of sewage overflow increasing the danger of waterborne diseases for a population already living with 97% of water unfit for human consumption. Water related diseases are the primary cause of child deaths in Gaza and account for a quarter of all illnesses.
Fuel is used to compensate for the severe lack and chronic outages of electricity in Gaza. An 11 year old child in Gaza does not know what it means to have a full day of electricity.
With funding cuts to UNRWA by the US, emergency food aid, primary healthcare, and education are deteriorating. Gaza’s unemployment is one of the highest in the world so over half the population are dependent upon UNRWA.
The fuel crisis is exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian disaster impacting the lives two million Palestinians, half of whom are children. Entering the 12th year of a blockade, the plight of Gazan’s is dire, and moving towards collapse.
It is the obligation of the occupying power to provide for the humanitarian needs of the protected population according to International Law. Equally illegal is the blockade which must end if there is to be peace in the region. Palestinians will endure…they will not go quietly into the night.
Speaking after a recent visit to Palestine, UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynx declared that in Gaza, “Residents are deprived of their most basic rights, including the rights to health, to education, and most recently, in attempting to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, they were deprived of the right to life.”
Indeed, it bears repeating that Gaza has been under a constant air, sea, land, and economic blockade for over eleven years and a suffocating campaign that has deprived the civilian population of basic necessities including food, clean water, and electricity that many of us take for granted in the modern age.
HOW CAN YOU HELP ALLEVIATE SUFFERING FROM THIS ONGOING HUMANITARIAN NIGHTMARE?
As a modest response to the pervasive poverty and economic distress experienced by Palestinians living in Gaza, KinderUSA has embarked on a chicken farming micro-enterprise project that empowers female heads of households. The initial stage of the project began in March with 38 households and continued through the end of June.
One of our beneficiaries, 48-year-old Nisreen, supports a family of 5 boys and 3 girls, one of whom is physically challenged and requires special care at home. As the sole provider for her family, Nisreen spoke about how the chicken farming project has changed her life and her children’s lives.
“The project is rare in Gaza. They provided me with everything I needed to start and continue the business. I received 200 chicks until I sold them and did not pay any dollars. I sold 165 of the chickens back to KinderUSA for Ramadan and after, they gave me 200 more. I was able to buy food and clothes for my children. My girls were so excited since it’s been a long time since they received new clothing! Alhumdulilah (thank God), I succeeded and was able to share my earnings and some food as charity with my neighbor.”
Now, KinderUSA hopes to replicate this success with 38 new families for a period of 4-5 months, providing the same education, training, tools, and 200 chicks to female heads of household. For a little more than $400 a month, we are helping provide an income to indigent families in Gaza, providing sustainability and offering the hope of a more secure future.
Over the past decade, the blockade of Gaza has had a devastating impact on the well-being of Palestinian children. With your generous support, KinderUSA will continue to work on behalf of these vulnerable children, providing small pockets of hope in a sea of misery.
Over the past 16 years, KinderUSA has been blessed with a remarkable group of supporters who have never wavered from their commitment to safeguarding the lives of the children we serve. The gratitude expressed by the recipients of our Ramadan program – gratitude for the healthy food that sustains them during this blessed month – strengthens our resolve to continue, and reminds us of how much we have to be thankful for. Thank You!
Musallam lives with his wife and six children, ranging in age from 9 months to 7 years old, in a structure that consists of 2 small rooms just outside of Rafah, near the Egyptian border. The home has a metallic roof, no windows, no electricity, no running water, and therefore poor sanitation. In short, uninhabitable for small children.
Musallam occasionally works as a fisherman which is a dangerous job since boats will be attacked with live ammunition if they venture outside of 6 nautical miles. But being confined to such a restricted area means fewer and fewer fish are caught.
Unfortunately for Musallam and others like him, there is no other work available that will enable him to feed his family and pay for any discretionary items they may need, such as milk and diapers for his 9 month old. “If something should happen to me, I don’t know how my family will live.”
During our field visits in preparation for the Ramadan distribution, Musallam told us that he has not benefited from any organizations other than the Ministry of Social Affairs who provides dry food aid and a small amount of cash once every 3 months.
Through the generosity of our donors, Musallam and his family have received 2 distributions of fresh food including live chickens, fresh vegetables, and dairy, enough food for the entire month. “This food came at the right time. I did not have any money and I could see the change in my wife and children with the food,” said Musallam.
As for Musallem’s wife, Amal, she says “The situation these days is very difficult, my husband was a former worker in Israel and our situation was excellent, not like these days we don’t have any money.” Crying and finding difficulty talking through the tears, she continues, “Thank you to all who made this possible for our children.”
“The people of Gaza deserve justice and the right to live as dignified human beings,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, KinderUSA Board Chair, “Providing them with healthy, nutritious meals during Ramadan, a month of self-restraint and spiritual reflection, will help restore a portion of the dignity that has been stolen from them.”
During the last days of Ramadan, our distribution continues and you still have time to make an online donation. Our goal is to continue distributing fresh food to families in need beyond Ramadan, funding permitted. Thank you to all who have made this project a continued success.
In Gaza, Women, who account for 49% of the population, bear a heavy share of the burden of economic strangulation imposed by the 11 year blockade. During that time, the number of women seeking employment has increased 200%. Many of these women are highly educated and now find themselves as the breadwinners of their family after their spouses are either incapacitated from injury or deceased.
Such is the case of Nisreen, a widow caring for her 7 children. She lost her husband to cancer 5 years ago and has struggled to survive ever since. In Gaza, cancer is a death sentence, and not for lack of expertise, but rather for lack of proper treatment due to the siege.
Living in a two room house with no doors, windows, electricity, nor safe water and sanitation, life for Nisreen and her children is unbearable. Her older children want to help, but they too find they increasingly have no options for employment. This kind of despair has led many to the borders over the past few weeks to demonstrate their frustration and desperation.
Sadly, many of the youth have lost all hope, turning to drugs and other negative outlets to help them cope. Children are forced to drop out of school and work in risky occupations to help put food on the table. Cuts to UNRWA, which provides critical services to over 75% of Gaza’s population coupled with non-payment of salaries are leading to a complete collapse across all sectors.
“The lives of these children and their families have value and cannot be taken with impunity,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, KinderUSA Chair, “We have to help replace despair with hope, reminding the global community that Gaza’s children belong to all of us.”
With that in mind, we at KinderUSA along with our implementing partner, Beit Lahia, have implemented a project ensuring food security for 38 female-headed households through the donation 200 chicks along with the essential tools and training required. Nisreen and 37 other women will raise chicks for roasting and laying hens to be included in our Ramadan food package distribution. KinderUSA purchases from the women and will replenish their stock at the close of the month allowing them to sell on the open market to care for their families. With enough support, we can expand this project so that it benefits more families in need, offering them a source of income and dignity throughout the year.
Gaza: Our Duty, Our Children
Join us for an event that is sure to both educate and engage guests, informing them of the people and communities we are serving during the month of Ramadan. In the exotic ambience of Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale California, keynote speaker, Dr. Saree Makdisi will discuss the plight of the Palestinian children in Gaza and the events that continue to make it unlivable for any human being along with the stunning level of international indifference. Please take a moment to read here Dr. Makdisi’s recent op-ed in the LA times challenging the media and others to tell the truth about Gaza. You will not want to miss his much-anticipated presentation.
In the spirit of Ramadan, our program will also feature Salam Al-Marayati, President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Jihad Turk, President of the Bayan Institute at Claremont College. Throughout the evening, you will have opportunities to purchase items from Palestine and make donations supporting our work through the month of Ramadan.
At a time when it is imperative to show our support for the children in Palestine, you are encouraged to attend. Buy your tickets now here, or at the door where ticket prices for Adults, Students, and Children are $75, $55, and $25. We all look forward to seeing you there!
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